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At any given time, we are responding to over 30 emergency situations. We provide life-saving essentials in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster and to people affected by conflict, as well as long-term development support. You can help.

As a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty, we are committed to being transparent in our work and accountable to donors, partners, allies, supporters, staff and volunteers, regulatory bodies and, in particular, the communities with whom we work. Check out how we spend your money.

Did you know that at least one in three women will experience some form of violence during their lifetime? It is one of the most widespread violations of human rights and has long-term devastating effects. We can change this: join us and say ‘Enough’!

We help people caught up in natural disasters and conflicts across the world with clean water, food, sanitation and protection. At any given time, we are responding to over 30 emergency situations, giving life-saving support to those most in need.

Millions of people are being forced from their homes, risking everything to escape conflict, disaster, poverty or hunger. From those fleeing the war in Syria or climate change-induced droughts, to those stranded in inadequate conditions in Europe, you can help us give life-saving support to refugees in the countries where they need it most.

The crisis in Syria continues to cause tremendous human suffering to people both inside and outside the country. The conflict is driving the largest refugee crisis in the world. Nearly 12 million people – 2 in 3 Syrians – are still dependent on humanitarian aid. They need your help.

EU budget 2019 a missed opportunity to advance global goods

“We welcome the EU increasing its aid for education, public health and gender equality in developing countries. But we note the spending still falls short of the Union’s own objective of allocating 20 percent of the aid budget to these vital areas.

“Meanwhile, the funding allocated for humanitarian assistance neglects the real and urgent needs of people in crises. Political pressure from member states to curb migration has resulted in money that should be spent on immediate, lifesaving humanitarian aid being re-allocated to flawed migration programs. This leaves less available to support people in war-torn Syria and Yemen, who are desperately in need

“With this budget the EU has missed an opportunity to advance its role as a global leader that protects people affected by poverty and emergencies. This is a worrying trend as the EU is now discussing its next long-term budget. This cannot be a budget where the EU focusses only on issues affecting the region, and turns away from its role as a global force for good.”

Notes to editors:

Spokespeople are available for interviews and background.

The European Parliament and EU member states now agreed on the EU budget for 2019, after they had failed to reach an agreement in a first round of ‘trilogue’ negotiations in November.

The EU’s budget for external action is summarised under heading 4 – “EU as Global Player” with EUR 11.3 billion in commitments for 2019, an increase of 12.4 percent compared to 2018.

The overall budget for ‘human development’ – that is support for issues like education, public health and gender equality – is EUR 238 million, an increase by EUR 32.5 million or 15.7 percent compared to last year’s budget. This increase still fails to meet the 20-percent benchmark of the EU’s current long-term budget, the ‘Multi-annual Financial Framework’ (MFF), for which an increase of EUR 111 million would have been needed.

The budget for humanitarian aid will increase by 52,2 percent compared to last year,. with EUR 600 million going towards the EU-Turkey refugee deal. No extra funds were allocated to cover current or future humanitarian crises.

Extra funds were given to the European Neighbourhood Instrument, for the Eastern and Mediterranean partnerships respectively (with a particular increase in funding for the southern neighbourhood). These funds are allocated with the stated goal of “tackling the root causes of migration”.

The EU is currently discussing the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which will determine the priorities, architecture and the financial amounts for the years 2021-2027. The proposed new structure of the budget shows that EU development cooperation is going through a major transformation as the political context in Europe has become more inward-looking. Migration and security preoccupations, and the goal of attracting private sector investment for development – not always with sufficient safeguards in place –, have become the EU’s new priorities.

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